Wireless communication systems most often employ the use of "cell" technology, where a base station or other transceiver is dedicated to a specific geographic area. After accessing a base station, wireless customers are then connected to a communications network, such as a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) or a data network such as a corporate LAN.
To provide complete coverage over an entire metropolitan area or geographic region, base stations must be installed at frequent and regular intervals. The need for such a regular array of base stations often necessitates that they be placed in conspicuous locations.
Since communication base stations require an antenna system to transmit and receive information to and from a wireless customer, the antenna often needs to be placed where there are no obstructions that will interfere with its operation. Optimizing the antenna performance often requires placing the antenna on the side of a building or on top of a tall pole or mast. Particularly in urban settings, crowded geographic regions, and residential areas, the need to install a large number of base stations and their associated antennas is typically at odds with the desire of a municipality to reduce the clutter and obtrusiveness of industrial installations and unsightly electrical and communications equipment. Local municipalities may have strict zoning regulations which can interfere with or even prohibit a communications company from installing wireless equipment in a location that interferes with the aesthetic characteristics of the city or town. To operate at optimum effectiveness, a direct line of site between the antenna and the communications device is preferred. This usually requires a conspicuous installation.
Antennas associated with communications systems may sometimes require field adjustments so that the directivity of the antenna can be modified to optimize its performance. New structures, additional base stations, or changing electromagnetic interference can alter the performance of an antenna system, requiring the orientation of an antenna to be changed from time to time. Consequently, it is beneficial to install an antenna so that the orientation of the antenna can be altered quickly and with minimum effort.
Known pole antenna mounts do not address the need to adjustably mount multiple antennas in an unobtrusive and inconspicuous manner. Known antenna mounts are fixed and are only suitable for a limited number of antennas. Since they are fixed, they fail to provide the necessary adjustability required by the changing environment and demands under which they must operate. Thus, it would be desirable to have an antenna mount suitable for the unobtrusive installation of multiple antennas. It would also be desirable for the antennas to be adjustably mounted, particularly so that the azimuth angle of the antenna may be easily and expeditiously adjusted to a wide variety of angles. Finally, it would be desirable to have a universal antenna mount which can be mounted on variously sized and/or configured mounting structures, including poles, towers, and beams.